Grain-treating machine



Aug. 25, 1925. 1,550,656

' R. M. ANDERSON ET AL GRAIN TREATING MACHINE x Filed April 9. 1925 sSheets-Shut 1 Aug. 25, 925. 1,550,658

R. M. ANDERSON ET AL GRAIN TREATING MACHINE Filed April 9. 1923 5Sheets-Shut 2 R INVENTOR. g: fiar M fllmmmzv m, BY flmmr X flmzwsol ATTEYS.

Aug. 25, 1925.

R. M. ANDERSON ET AL GRAIN TREATING MACHINE Filed April 9, 1923 3Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNE Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROY IVI. ANDERSON AND HARRY Y. ANDERSON, 0F WALLA \VALLA, XVASHINGTON.

GRAIN-TREATING MACHINE.

Application filed. April 9,

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROY M. ANDnRsoN and HARRY Y. ANDERSON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at WValla WValla, in the county of l/VallaWalla and State of Washington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Treating Ma chines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to smut treating machines and has as one of itsobjects to provide a means for treating wheat and other grains toprevent disease.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for treatinggrains that is applcable to the use of a dry powdered fungi 01 e.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for treatinggrains with a dry powdered fungicide that will prevent the escape ofdust that arises from the powder.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for treatinggrains that is continuous in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for treatinggrains that will agitate the fungicide in the fungicide feeder toprevent packing and thus insure a uniform flow thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for treatinggrains that will maintain a constant flow of the fungicide insynchronism with the machine, and that will separate and preserve anysurplus of the fungicide.

With these and other objects in View reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of themachine with part cut away to show its interior;

Fig. 2 is a .sectional view of the device on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a front elevation of means for adjusting the legs of themachine;

Fig. 4 shows part of the grain hopper and its gate;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the adjusting means for the fungicidefeeder, and Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the machine.

Having reference to the drawings like nilmerals refer to like partsthroughout the several views, and the numeral 1 refers to a frame workdesigned to properly support the machine and comprises legs 2, crossmembers 3, and bracing members 4. The

1923. Serial No. 630,762.

frame is adjustable as to inclination by means of adjustable legs 5,each consisting of a plate 6 extended to form a foot 7 and provided witha slot 8, with guide pieces 9 slida'bly engaging the legs 2 of theframe. A bolt 10 passes through the leg 2 and slot 8 and is held secureby a thumb nut 11 to provide means to regulate the height of the legsand thus the inclination of the machine,

which is rigidly attached thereto.

Fixedly attached to the frame is a cylindrical dust proof casing 12provided with heads 13 which maintain the rotundity of the casing andwhich afford a substantial means for fastening the casing to the frame,the fastening being accomplished in any suitable manner.

Operably positioned within the casing 12 is a rotatably mounted drum 14consisting of an outer shell 15 open at each end and supported byspiders 16 which in turn are mounted on an axle 17 The drum terminatesshort of the casing and the axle passes through the entire length of thedrum and through the head 18 of the casing and is supported by the crossmembers 3 of the frame. The axle is extended at both ends and carries atone end a driving pulley 18 wherewith to operate the machine, and at theother end a bevel friction pinion which will be presently explained.

The spiders 16 consist of a hub 19, legs 20 and feet 21, the latterbeing offset to supply a substantial means for attaching the spiders tothe shell 15, while the legs afford a substantial means to carry paddles22 which are thus mounted within and will obviously rotate with thedrum.

The spiders likewise maintain the rotundity of the shell of the drum sothat this shell and the casing, which are positioned concentric to eachother, may operate without interference with a minimum of space 23between the two.

At one end of the machine is a grain hop per 24, which is fixedlyattached to the frame 1 in any suitable manner and to one head 13 of thecasing, and is in communjFcation with the drum 14 by means of the spout25 which passes through the head to discharge thereinto. The hopper isof the usual form of hoppers, having the usual inclined bottom, andneeds no description as it is old in the art.

A shield 26 is attached to the head 13 to prevent the grain from passingout the open end of the drum during the operation of the machine, tobecome lodged between the rotating drum and the stationary casing thereto cause undue frictional resistance between the two. The shield is ofthe shape of a frustrum of a cone and is positioned with its base towardthe drum and with its smaller end against the end 13, by which means thegrain, falling against the sloping side of the shield, is directed awayfrom the open end of the drum.

The hopper is provided with a means to manually regulate the flow of thegrain through the spout 25, which means consists of a gate 27, slotted,as at 28, to straddle a tube 29 positioned centrally in the end 30 ofthe hopper, and is operated by means of a yoke 31, a connecting link 32,a lever 33, and a fulcrum piece 34 attached to the end 30 of the hopper.

Attached to the end 30 of the hopper and in communication with thehopper 24 is a dust proof fungicide feeder 35 consisting of a funnelshaped hopper 36 with one side 37 flattened, if desired, to attach tothe hopper 24. The hopper is provided with a closure 38 on its top sideto prevent the escape of dust, and is provided with a discharge tube 29on its lower side, which tube passes through the end 30 of the hopper 24and provides a passageway for the fungicide so that the fungicide willbe deposited directly into the grain to be treated and at a point thatthe grain as it moves down the inclined bottom will carry the fungicidewith it into the drum 14.

This feeder comprises, in addition to the hopper 36 and tube 29, anauger conveyor 39 operable in the tube 29, with an extended portionforming, with cross bars 40, an agitator. Both the agitator and theauger 39 are mounted on one rotatable shaft 41 which is supported by abearing 42 at its upper end, and the bearing 43 at its lower end,through the latter of which it passes to accommodate a friction disc 44engageable with the bevel friction pinion 45 above mentioned.

Between the disc 44 and the bearing 43, and mounted on the shaft 41, isa coiled spring 46 which bears at one end against the bearing 43 and atthe other end against a thrust bearing 47 placed against the disc toprevent undue friction between the movable disc and the stationaryspring.

The spring is provided to afford proper frictional contact between thedisc 44, and the pinion 45, and the pinion is slidably mounted on theshaft 41 so that it may assume the positions shown in Fig. 5 by thedotted and solid lines. The pinion 45 may be moved to either of theabove or the intermediate positions by releasing the set screw 48,moving the pinion to the desired position, then fastening the set screw,by which means a simple variable speed mechanism is provided whereby theaction of the agitator 40 and the auger conveyorr 39 may be synchronizedwith the action of the axle 17.

Attached to the lower or discharge side of the casing is a dischargespout 49 in the bottom of which is a screen 50, over which the treatedgrain travels in its passage out of the machine.

Beneath the screen is a second spout or chute 51 with a removablereceptacle [)2 at the lower end of this chute.

The chute and receptacle are both likewise dust proof so that as thegrain passes over the screen in its exit the surplus fungicide siftsthrough the screen to be recovered in the receptacle 52 without any ofthe dust escaping to the outside of the machine.

An elevator 53 may be attached to the discharge spout 49 if desired, andwhen used may be further provided with a sacker head 54 to support thesack positioned there to receive the treated grain.

In use grain is poured into the hopper 24; the machine is then startedby means of any prime mover (not shown) attached to the pulley 18. Thespeed of the agitator and the auger conveyor is then properly regulatedby the pinion 45 when the fungicide feeder 35 is filled with the properfungicide, and the gate 27 to the spout opened, when, the flow of grainnow starting, the fungicide is carried along with the grain into thedrum where the two are thoroughly mixed by being lifted to the top ofthe drum 14 by the paddles 22, from which they slide, and falling,produce a continual agitation that thoroughly coats the grain.

The treated grain now travels throughout the length of the drum, and,the drum terminating short of the casing, as above mentioned, the graindischarges directly into the discharge spout 49 through an outlet 56provided in the casing.

Now as the grain passes over the screen 50 the surplus fungicide fallsthrough the screen to be caught by the receptacle 52 and the grainpasses to the sack through the elevator 53, or other means.

It will now be noted that the fungicide feeder is made dustproof by theclosure 38; the outlet from the tube 29 is covered by the grain makingthis part dust proof; agitation of the grain is carried on in a dustproof casing 12; the treated grain is separated from the surplusfungicide in a dust proof discharge spout 49; and the grain is finallydeposited in the sack.

Having thus described our invention we claim- 1. In a grain treatingmachine, the combination with feeding means, of a frame, means attachedto the legs of said frame to adjust its inclination, a cylindricalcasing fixed to said frame, a cylindrical drum rotatably mounted in saidcasing, paddles carried by said drum, a discharge spout attached to saidcasing and positioned to receive the treated grain from said drum, ascreening means attached to said spout, and means to rotate said drum.

2. In a grain treating machine, the combination with feeding means, of aframe, adjustable means attached to the legs of said frame to adjust theinclination of said frame, a dust proof casing fixed to said frame, acylindrical drum rotatably mounted in said casing and terminating withits discharge end short of said casing, paddles mounted Within androtatable With said drum, a discharge spout attached to said casing andpositioned to receive the treated grain from said drum, a screeningmeans attached to saidspput andpfovided' witha" removable receptacle torecover the screened fungicide, and means to rotate said drum.

3. In a grain treating machine, the combination With feeding means, of aframe, a cylindrical dust proof casing fixed to said frame, a drumrotatably mounted in said casing, paddles mounted Within and rotatablewith said drum, means to synchronize the action of the feeding meansWith the axle of said drum, said last mentioned means comprising avariable speed mechanism, a discharge spout and screening means attachedto said casing and provided With a removable receptacle to recover thescreened fungicide, and means to operate said drum.

In testimony whereof We afiix our signatures.

ROY M. ANDERSON. HARRY Y. ANDERSON.

